The Observer, February 2, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 15
Throwback Weekend to rekindle memories at Adelbert Gym
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Standing still, usually dormant, Adelbert Gym escapes the minds of most who walk by on their way to class or work. Outside of the occasional practice for a club sports team, a concert, or an intramural event, the building's distinctive orange lights, overhead twirling fans, and wooden fixtures stand idly, functioning more as relics of yesteryear than features of an athletic venue for the campus.
All that will change tonight, when the memories of the past come to life as the Case athletic department hosts the second annual Throwback Weekend. The weekend festivities begin when The Case Lady Spartans play the Lady Tartans of Carnegie Mellon University at 6 p.m. The Spartan women will wear uniforms in honor of Mather College.
Following the women's game, the Case men will battle CMU and try to avenge last week's five-point defeat at the hands of the Tartans. The Spartans will be wearing uniforms commemorating Western Reserve.
Both teams will be in action again on Sunday when the festivities come to a close. At noon, the men will play Rochester and wear uniforms commemorating Case Institute of Technology. The Lady Spartans' game will follow at 2 p.m., and the Spartan women will once again wear uniforms honoring Mather College.
Over the weekend, the athletic department will honor several of the finest athletes each school had to offer. One of them is Edward Steigerwald, CIT '52. Steigerwald was the epitome of the model student athlete. He earned all-conference honors in basketball from 1950-1952 and set records for points during a single season and a career, yet he also found time to earn all A's during his last three years of school and serve as class president for three years.
"I enjoyed Case. It was a great school at that time," he said. "I wanted to be an engineer, and I was a very good student. I wrote for the school paper, and stayed an extra year to get my master's. It was the right size school for me, and I had a great experience."
Achieving success on the basketball court was a primary part of that great experience. Steigerwald himself had an impressive playing career, but the teams on which he played were largely successful too. Much of that was due to having a deep team that featured senior leadership and quite a bit of height.
"We had a pretty good team," he said. "There were four of us who were seniors, and there were several of us who were over 6-4. We had one of the best records up to that point in time. Even if you're a little better than average, it makes a big difference. Opponents can't double-team you."
The team also responded well to the tutelage of coach Nip Heim.
"He was a good coach and good guy," Steigerwald said. "His style was reminiscent of the [legendary coach Bill] Sudeck mentality. It was more structured with a set offensive pattern. Being engineers, we liked and were able to understand it."
When asked to compare his old Case Tech teams to some of the better teams in the area today, Steigerwald acknowledged that it was difficult to make the comparison, noting that a lot has changed since he played in college.
"It's tough to say. Players are so much bigger and faster today. There is also a different frame of reference, as there are so many more games now. If we were playing today, though, I think we would find a way to compete."
That is what the current Case men's team is trying to do, as it continues its rebuilding year against the stellar competition of the UAA. Steigerwald said that the team, and all student-athletes, must continue to forge ahead while also taking the time to enjoy their experience.
"They must persevere. A lot of times, the game doesn't go the way you would like, but the kids who persevere come out ahead," he said. "But being part of a team is a great experience. The camaraderie you have, there is nothing like it."
As he watches the Spartans take on Carnegie Mellon and Rochester this weekend, Steigerwald undoubtedly will recall his games against Western Reserve at Adelbert Gym while playing for Case Tech. Those memories will come to life, at least for three days, after which the doors will close, and the long-standing building will slip into anonymity once again.
